SAIDIA YATIMA NA WAHITAJI: Korogwe Orphanage Centre(KOC)

About Korogwe Orphanage Centre(KOC)

Korogwe Orphanage Centre(KOC)operates in Korogwe District, Tanga region, Tanzania. Korogwe is located in one of Tanzania’s poorest regions, which is often overlooked by NGOs because of its limited infrastructure and service provision. The area is badly affected by HIV/AIDS and lacks the resources necessary to provide assistance to AIDS victims or to develop effective prevention strategies. Many children in the area have been orphaned as a result of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, and are themselves infected with the disease. Many of these have no relatives to which to turn, and must stay with already poor families in the nearby villages of Kwa Msisi,Msufini, Madumu, Chekelei, and Kwakole. Others are forced to wander the streets due to lack of resources and parental guidance.

Most of these children do not attend school. All suffer because of lack of family discipline, inability to access skill-building programs or education, and insufficient nutrition, clothing, and health care. The lack of these basic needs in turn makes the children even more vulnerable to sexual abuse, HIV/AIDS infection, illness, and labor exploitation.

KOC was formed in 2005 to combat the situation of local children and youths. The Korogwe Youth Vocational Center, an offshoot of KOC, was established in May 2006 and is well positioned to support orphans identified by the parent organization as at-risk. Together, the organizations seek to support the orphans of Korogwe District in gaining access to education, health care, and daily interactions necessary for the development of healthy children and youths. To this end, the KOC presently provides daytime nursery education and limited medical care. In addition, KOC seeks to develop an arts cooperative of local widows who currently serve as caretakers and who wish to market their goods online to raise operational funds for the new school, increasing the project’s likelihood of sustainability, teaching the women how to be self-reliant by training them in tailoring, pottery making, etc.

The Children:
In Korogwe District there are more than 500 orphans. The Centre currently supports 97 boys and girls between the ages of 2 and 18. Of these, 10 are fully supported by the Centre and the rest live with grandparents or other people in the local community. With funding, by January, 2013 we expect the number of youth we are supporting to increase to 200. The goal is to be able to support at least 250 youth at the Centre.

Besides giving the children clothes, food, and shelter, Korogwe Orphanage Centre(KOC)provides supplementary lessons for the children in its care as well as children from the local community. International volunteers teach classes in English, Mathematics, Social Studies, and Science twice a day.

Overseas funding is being sought for the development of the site. The Centre has its own building now. Some of the land has been converted to a vegetable garden, the produce of which will be used and sold by the Centre.

KOC has just finished the building of two classrooms and a teachers' office, which is serving as a base for its activities and as a Pre-School centre.
The two classrooms are large, accommodating 45 children per session, and each contains a blackboard. There are two toilets available conveniently as well(One for Children and the other one for adults).
The Pre-School opened its doors to the public in March, 2012. Already there are 200 children registered with KOC, and 97 of them are able to attend the Pre-School every weekday. Another 45 (of this 200), ages 7 to 15, receive limited financial support from the Centre for tuition fees, books, uniforms, etc.
Future Aims:

1 To build and facilitate a small primary school to accommodate children completing basic education at the Pre-School centre and also older children.
2 To build and facilitate a small secondary school to accommodate children completing education at the KOC primary school and also older children.
3 To partner with local businesses to provide the opportunity for vocational training.
4 To build a pool for keeping fish (approximately one hectare)
5 To build two more classrooms as part of the Pre-School.
6 To establish a Pre-School centre in each of the wards of Korogwe Town.
7 To establish a partnership with an overseas volunteering agency, enabling foreign volunteers to help physically and financially with future development projects under the guidance of KOC.

It is the greatest desire of KOC to gradually establish such projects within each of the wards of Korogwe Town, thus giving stability and a prosperous future to each and every child living in difficult circumstances with no hope of living a decent life. Every one of KOC children are valued as growing individuals and know that they have people to turn to when they are in need.

Friends who have contributed so far:
1 Local government by providing 1 hectare of the 5 hectares that we have
2 Board members - all board members make regular financial contributions to the needs of the Centre and in particular the ten children that are fully within its care.
In addition:
(a) Mr. Mhina (Village Chairman) - by organising and monitoring all day to day activities;
(b) Musa Twaha Kitonge (Swahili and Culture teacher) - by promoting KOC, looking for volunteers and donors;
(c) Benjamin Kinyamasongo (Swahili and Culture teacher) - by promoting KOC, looking for volunteers and donors;
(d) Maimuna Hussein - by helping chairman;
(e) Mwanaisha Kallaghe - by helping chairman;
(f) Salehe Mzige (Accountant for the Municipality of Korogwe) - by helping KOC with accounts

3 Friends from Australia by doing local fundraising to help with purchasing uniforms, books, etc. (Sheree Lette, Miranda Wilkson, Katie Melinda from the organisation Friends of Korogwe)